Climate Basics Podcast Episode 13 notes
Indonesia is a huge nation, in terms of population, cultural and religious diversity, and global industrial importance.
About the same population as the entire U.S. nearing 300 million across 17,000 islands, over 700 languages still exist, each with their own cultural, ethnic, and ecological foundations.
After centuries of being extracted from by larger forces, they’re starting to try and do more refining and processing within the country, taking over more steps of the value chain in a bid to overcome colonial-era exploitation for foods and minerals. If you’re eating rice or tofu or using an electronic containing nickel, cobalt, bauxite or copper, it might have come from Indonesia.
They set a goal ten years ago to reach 6.5 gigawatts of solar 7.2 megawatts geothermal and 9.9 gigawatts of hydro, which they did reach. But still their electricity comes mostly from coal, which in addition to producing ⅔ of their own energy, is also exported to both India and China. Indonesian coal production has doubled in the past ten years, to nearly BILLION TONS, the #3 producer globally. They’ve recently discovered shale oil reserves about the size of Canada’s, which could become an ecological disaster/economic miracle of its own. All that said, Coal is still only about 3% of Indonesia’s GDP.
Its oil production is decreasing already, with clear indications that they’ll have to switch energy supplies in the next few decades, starting with following Brasil and the U.S. down the path of biofuels, though the sustainability of that sector is murky at best. It’s already consuming more gas fuels than it produces, by a widening margin. That might explain why it’s so interested in EVs. EVs have hit 14%, higher than many nations including the u.s. Which is almost at 8%. This is why they’re looking to become champions of refining, processing, and manufacturing - with half the global nickel production and many other key minerals, they have a unique potential for total economic autonomy - every step of the production chain can be done domestically! Very few places have ever achieved that.
Now the ecological consequences of all this new industrial exploitation is massive - remember this is a place once rich in biodiversity - especially rain forests, coral reefs, and the rich fishing and agriculture that those support. Volcanism produces some of the richest soils possible, which when combined with rice terracing was producing some of the highest productivity food ever seen. This originally lush and productive environment has been disrupted by clearcutting, wildfires, all the regular suspects. On top of that Climate Change is changing rainfall patterns including more severe and unpredictable droughts and floods, and it has the fastest sinking capital city in the world, Jakarta, where sea level rise and poor water management leading to the draining of underground freshwater aquifers leading to subduction of the land into the sea.
There are plans to construct a new capital on Borneo, a largely forested island shared with Malaysia, and home to one of the largest remaining rainforests. The project imitates Brasilia, the centrally planned capital city constructed by the Brazilian government, and was to be a high-tech, investor-friendly modern smart city. Construction has had several issues so far.
There are alternatives Indonesia could continue industrializing in the 1800’s, primary industry style, but Indonesians also have the option to reverse the ecological collapse and use nature-based solutions in tandem with clean industry to become global leader in next-generation manufacture, regenerative agriculture, mariculture, and electrification. They have the resources, and how they decide to grow is one of the remaining wildcards in terms of how the world is going to handle climate change. As stewards of a large portion of the world’s remaining biodiversity, and as the next most important actor after China, the U.S. and India, they have decisions to make that will affect all of us.
https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/indonesia-transition-factbook-2025/
https://www.eia.gov/international/content/analysis/countries_long/Indonesia/Indonesia_2025.pdf
https://iesr.or.id/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Indonesia-Energy-Transition-Outlook-IETO-2025.pdf
AI Notes:
Here’s a grounded, evidence-based breakdown of (1) Indonesia’s total energy consumption by source and (2) the status and funding of mangrove ecosystems — past and future — with clear reference citations.
(1) Indonesia’s Total Energy Consumption — By Source (All Sectors)
This refers to total primary energy consumption (not just electricity) — that is, energy used across transportation, industry, households, etc., measured in quads or percentage of the total.
Primary Energy Consumption Breakdown (2023)
According to the most recent U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data (2025 publication covering 2023):
Total Primary Energy Consumption in Indonesia (2023)
Coal: ~52%
Oil & petroleum: ~30%
Natural Gas: ~14%
Renewables (Hydro, Biomass, Biofuels, etc.): ~4%
Nuclear: 0% (no commercial nuclear plants)
(values approximate; sum = 100%)
Interpretation:
Coal remains the dominant energy source across the economy, driven by industrial use, electricity generation, and industry processing.
Oil — mainly for transport and industry — is the second largest.
Gas plays a significant but smaller role.
Renewables (excluding modern power) still represent a small share of overall energy use.
This confirms that Indonesia’s energy consumption remains heavily fossil-dependent across total economy usage, not just electricity.
Note on Renewable Subcategories (from statistical compilations)
Secondary compilations (e.g., BP Statistical Review aggregations into Indonesian data) suggest:
Within “renewables,” hydro often contributes the largest share of renewable energy consumed, with bioenergy (biofuels, waste), geothermal, solar, and wind making smaller contributions. (Ecology Prime)
But for total primary energy, renewables are still a small minority (~4%), dwarfing fossil fuels.
(2) Mangroves in Indonesia — Present Status & Future Intentions
Are Mangroves an Ongoing / Future Planned Significant Development?
Yes. Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystems are a nationally significant environmental and climate resource:
Extent: Indonesia has about 3.3–3.44 million hectares of mangroves, representing roughly 20–23% of the global total, making it the largest and most diverse mangrove area in the world. (Wetlands International Indonesia)
Ecosystem value: Indonesian mangroves store ~3.14 billion tons of CO₂, supporting carbon mitigation, coastal protection, and fisheries productivity. (World Bank)
Policy role: Mangroves are incorporated into Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and land-use emissions strategies, reflecting their importance in achieving net sink targets by 2030. (World Bank)
Restoration planning:
The government’s ambitious restoration target — 600,000 hectares of degraded mangroves — was pursued by 2024 and into the current multi-year period through the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM), although progress has lagged relative to peatland programs. (Mongabay News)
Mangroves are part of the “Mangrove Breakthrough” initiative aligned with Indonesia’s national planning (RPJMN) and climate commitments through the latter 2020s, with future financing needs identified at ~IDR 47.6 trillion (USD ~2.85 billion) for 2025–2029, but less than 20% of this is currently secured. (Wetlands International Indonesia)
Summary:
Mangroves are both ongoing and planned as a major ecosystem priority in Indonesia — not a marginal activity — and are tightly linked to climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity objectives.
(2a) How Mangrove Projects in Indonesia Have Been Funded Historically
Funding for mangrove restoration and conservation in Indonesia has come from a mix of national, international, private, and hybrid sources:
1) Multilateral and Development Finance
World Bank supports large-scale mangrove initiatives such as the Mangroves for Coastal Resilience Project, covering rehabilitation, conservation policy strengthening, and coastal community livelihoods. (World Bank)
Other global institutions and UN programs have provided technical and financial support tied to climate resiliency and biodiversity restoration. (The United Nations in Indonesia)
2) Government Agencies
The Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) coordinates national restoration programs and associated budgeting. These are state-led and often financed through national and local budgets and programs, though progress has varied. (Mongabay News)
3) Private Sector & NGOs
Corporate programs (e.g., PT Indika Energy’s IMPACT mangrove program) fund planting and community engagement. Such private sector sponsorship is part of CSR and ESG strategies tied to environmental performance. (The Jakarta Post)
Community-oriented and civil society group initiatives (e.g., Dompet Dhuafa, local NGOs) also contribute seedling production, planting, and maintenance, often funded via philanthropic capital including zakat (religiously mandated charitable funds) mobilized toward environmental work. (The Jakarta Post)
4) Emerging Market Instruments
Efforts are now exploring blue carbon finance mechanisms — i.e., payments for carbon sequestration by mangroves (carbon credits) — as an emerging source of funding and incentive alignment between private capital and ecosystem outcomes. (World Bank)
Integration with Indonesia’s emerging carbon market (e.g., linking mangrove conservation to tradable credits) is an explicit strategy. (Antara News)
Concluding Synthesis
Energy Consumption (total):
Indonesia’s primary energy consumption is overwhelmingly fossil fuel–based: ~52% coal, 30% oil, 14% gas, and ~4% renewables.
Mangroves — Past & Future Role:
Indonesia has the world’s largest mangrove system, and these ecosystems are central to national climate and coastal management strategies. (Wetlands International Indonesia)
Restoration and conservation are ongoing and planned at very large scale, with multilateral assistance (e.g., World Bank), government agencies, private sector programs, and emerging market (blue carbon) mechanisms. (World Bank)
There’s a recognized financing gap for planned mangrove restoration, indicating a need for innovative funding — blending public, private, carbon finance, and international climate financing. (Wetlands International Indonesia)
Indonesia court shortens investor land rights by half in fresh blow to capital city project | Reuters - article says this ruling is final and binding, limiting ownership to 95 yrs
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